Duluth East, Hermantown Both Advance to State Hockey Semifinals

Both Duluth East and Hermantown have won their opening round games in the Minnesota State Boys Hockey Tournament, advancing into their respective final four rounds on Friday. The Hawks and Greyhounds are the only two remaining Northern Minnesota teams in the tournament, with all but one other remaining team being from the Twin Cities Metro Area.

Hermantown Hawks

Hermantown's Blake Biondi had a hat trick as a part of the Hawks' 4-2 win on Wednesday night over Monticello. Jacob Herter was the other scorer for Hermantown, netting the team's second goal of the night in the first period. The top seeded Hawks move on to play the only remaining non-metro team that isn't from the Twin Ports area, facing the #4 Alexandria on Friday. Alexandria advanced to this game after defeating Thief River Falls 1-0.

Next for Hermantown: The Hawks will play #4 Alexandria at 1 pm on Friday at the Xcel Energy Center. The winner of this game will go on to face the winner of the Orono vs. Mahtomedi game for the 2018 Class A State Championship at noon on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center.

Duluth East Greyhounds

Duluth East's Garrett Worth earned a hat trick as part of their dominant 5-0 victory over St. Michael-Albertville on Thursday afternoon. Also scoring for the Greyhounds were Logan Anderson and Ian Mageau. The #3 seed Greyhounds advance to take on second seed Edina, who dismantled Lakeville North 7-1 in their opening round game of the tournament.

Next for Duluth East: The Greyhounds will play #2 Edina at 6 pm on Friday at the Xcel Energy Center. The winner of this game will go on to play for the 2018 Class AA State Championship at 7 pm on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center.